Snowblowers are normally provided with a clutch to engage and disengage the output shaft relative to the motor which powers the helical blades and blowing fan. The snowblower may be of a single unit attached to the front of a carrier vehicle, or may be a modular implement to minimize downtime of the snowblower, as in applicant's previous U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,988 dated Oct. 23, 1984. In either case, the clutch must be actuated by a lever, manually, which is located at the snowblower itself, remote from the carrier vehicle. The operator of the snowblower must therefore leave the cab of the carrier vehicle each time he/she wants to operate the clutch.
Another problem is that the fork of the clutch lever is linked to the clutch assembly by a toggle; this requires a partial return of the clutch lever from its limit clutching position, in order to release the axial thrust on the bearings involved and, thus, prevent rapid burning out of said bearings.